This season we hope to expand the way we feature our athletes on the blog. We have so many amazing athletes with so much to offer and we are excited to be sharing their knowledge base, race reviews and insights into racing and training! Happy reading.

In 2013 I was able to do something a lot of people only dream about doing, I was able to quit my stressful day (and night and weekend!) job and follow my dream being full time in the Fitness field. Over the course of the next few years I read every book I could get my hands on about health and fitness. I worked at 4-5 different gyms including a smaller, personal training gym making next to nothing so that I could work beside some of the best coaches in the world. I had the privilege of working with amazing athletes. One of my first one-on-one clients was a man who had been in an accident that resulted in him being in a coma for 9 days and having most of his bones replaced with titanium. I was able to learn how important it is to work with each athlete as an individual and to create a plan that allows growth in a supported way. I took my love of running and triathlon and coached dozens of athletes to either complete their first triathlon or greatly improve their run time. I was able to watch clients have the joy of inches melting away and experience along with them the great accomplishment of getting stronger, faster, or mentally better. I helped them find a new passion for their training and got to stand right next to them every step of the way.

I’ve been around the block as a coach. I have coached a lot of athletes and learned from a lot of coaches. I’m well educated and am blessed to have the ability to motivate others. But even as a coach, I need a coach and here are some of the reasons why:

1. The most important for me- My coach keeps me accountable on my training. As someone that focuses on other people so much, it can be easy to get emotionally and physically exhausted and want to skip a workout. But that rarely happens, because I have someone that will know if I skip and holds me to the fact that every workout counts. As a fitness professional I often have early mornings and late nights and this can drag you down and make it seem reasonable to skip a workout – knowing that someone is waiting on the other end prevents this from happening.

2. My coach keeps me grounded. I have certain expectations of my progress because I know the science behind the training, but my coach helps “talk me down” when things don’t go according to plan. And many times you just need that second set of eyes to analyze your all-important data. She also validates when I need to step back and rest if I am sick (nobody wants to miss a workout, but sometimes it’s what is best), or when I need to let go of my old barriers and trust that I can do more with my body than I thought possible.

3. My coach gives me the support of not only her, but also an entire team of athletes. Every athlete at Evolve supports each other to the fullest extent. Had a shitty workout and want to cry? Betsy hands you a tissue and gives you a hug. Need a hilarious meme to lighten your mood before a tough afternoon workout? Sarah has you covered. Just got a Wahoo Kickr and totally clueless on how to set it up? That knock on your door is Tim coming over to help you set it up. And these are just a few examples!

4. Besides accountability on the workouts, my coach keeps me accountable on nutrition, sleep, and recovery. A big three that athletes tend to forget but is just as vital to training as swimming, biking, and running. I am highly organized person, but even so balancing all three sports and dialing in your nutrition, sleep and recovery is very tricky, and can easily get off kilter. As an Evolve athlete, I know that all of these aspects of the sport are important which pushes me to do my best on my workouts along with the less obvious aspects of training and racing.

About a month into being an Evolve athlete, I told someone it was the best money I’d ever spent. And I totally mean that. I get constant communication from my coach, and my improvements physically and mentally have been incredible the past few months. Evolve coaches expect commitment, but the commitment makes all the difference.